Museum of Work & Culture to Host Story Collection Event at Metta Night Market

(WOONSOCKET, R.I.) – On Friday, August 18, the Museum of Work & Culture will host an evening of story sharing and collecting with the Harris Library as part of its “My Woonsocket Life” initiative.

“My Woonsocket Life” is a multigenerational storytelling project in which the library is seeking to explore Woonsocket’s community identity by digitally documenting resident’s stories of past and present, as well as their visions for the future. Visitors will be welcome to share their stories in creating a permanent record of the community members.

In addition, artist Rebekah Greenwald Speck will be collecting stories from French language speakers for her project “French Lace: Threading Diversity Into Beauty in the Blackstone Valley.” Speck’s work is focused on engaging interviewees from around the globe who live in the Blackstone River Valley to share their personal histories, opinions, thoughts, and experiences related to the impact of French language and culture on their perspectives and lives.

The event is being offered in conjunction with Woonsocket’s Metta Night Market. The mission of the market is to develop Woonsocket into a vibrant destination for visitors and residents by supporting and promoting local businesses, sharing cultural traditions and activities, and bringing inclusive communities and industries together to spark a cultural renaissance in downtown Woonsocket. The evening will feature Bachata and Lao dance lessons and music by DJ DEPTA.

About the Museum of Work & Culture

The interactive and educational Museum of Work & Culture shares the stories of the men, women, and children who came to find a better life in Rhode Island’s mill towns in the late 19th- and 20th centuries. It recently received a Rhode Island Monthly Best of Rhode Island Award for its SensAbilities Saturdays all-ability program.

About the Rhode Island Historical Society

Founded in 1822, the RIHS, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is the fourth-oldest historical society in the United States and is Rhode Island’s largest and oldest historical organization. In Providence, the RIHS owns and operates the John Brown House Museum, a designated National Historic Landmark, built in 1788; the Aldrich House, built in 1822 and used for administration and public programs; and the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, where archival, book and image collections are housed. In Woonsocket, the RIHS manages the Museum of Work and Culture, a community museum examining the industrial history of northern Rhode Island and of the workers and settlers, especially French-Canadians, who made it one of the state’s most distinctive areas.